Cyclohexanecarboxylic acid compounds and hydroxymethylcyclohexane compounds are important commercial chemicals. For example, diacids such as 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid (CHDA) and 1,3-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid and diols such as 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) are useful monomers in formation of a wide variety of polymers and intermediates in a variety of additional reactions. 1,4-CHDA production can act as an intermediate for the synthesis of 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM). The monoacid cyclohexanecarboxylic acid is used as a raw material in synthesis of other compounds, and cyclohexanecarboxylic acid and several of its derivatives are useful as flavor and fragrance agents. Many cyclohexanecarboxylic acid compounds are prepared by hydrogenation of benzenecarboxylic acids. For example, there exists processes for synthesis of 1,4-CHDA from terephthalic acid (TPA). Many such processes suffer the drawback that they use compounds that are poor solvents for TPA. Processes also exist that include the conversion of TPA to its alkaline metal salts, and subsequent hydrogenation of such salts. Such processes, however, involve an additional process step as well as issues associated with conversion back to acids and removal and management of inorganic salts and acids in the process. Thus, there is a continuing need for improvement of processes for making cyclohexanecarboxylic acid and hydroxymethylcyclohexane compounds.